RYAN BADER DEFENDS HIS HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP AGAINST CHEICK KONGO IN MAIN EVENT OF BELLATOR 226

PLUS, THE START OF THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED 16-MAN BELLATOR FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD GRAND PRIX

LOS ANGELES - Two-division champion Ryan Bader (27-5) will make the first defense of his Bellator heavyweight world title against French-born slugger Cheick Kongo (30-10-2) when Bellator returns to SAP Center at San Jose on Saturday, September 7.

In addition, Bellator will officially launch its Featherweight World Grand Prix featuring 16 of the best 145-pound fighters in MMA, with the entire grand prix streaming exclusively on DAZN. More details on the grand prix, including participants and matchups, as well as additional Bellator 226 bouts, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Bellator 226: Bader vs. Kongo will stream live exclusively on DAZN at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com, DAZN and globally on the Bellator Mobile App.

An exclusive online presale for this event takes place Wednesday, July 17 through Thursday, July 18, with tickets going on sale to the general public Friday, July 19 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets will be available at the ThreatMetrix Ticket Office at SAP Center at San Jose, as well as Ticketmaster.com and Bellator.com.

A winner of his last seven fights at both heavyweight and light heavyweight, Bellator's two-division champion Ryan Bader will make his first heavyweight title defense since defeating "King Mo" Lawal, Matt Mitrione and Fedor Emelianenko in last year's Heavyweight World Grand Prix. Fighting out of Chandler, Ariz., the former two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler from Arizona State University began his professional career by winning season eight of The Ultimate Fighter. "Darth" continued his path of dominance by collecting victories over some of the 205-pound division's top talent, including wins over former world champions "Rampage" Jackson, Rashad Evans, Phil Davis (x2) and Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante, as well as Ovince Saint Preux and Vinny Magalhaes, before signing with Bellator in 2017.

Since joining Bellator in 2013, Kongo has strung together an impressive run that has seen him emerge victorious in 12 of 14 contests, including eight consecutive victories. With 42 career MMA fights under his belt, the Frenchman most recently defeated former Bellator titlist Vitaly Minakov in a rematch from 2014. The unanimous decision loss was the first of Minakov's career and cemented Kongo as the true number one contender for Bader's title. Training alongside "Rampage" Jackson, Juan Archuleta and others at Huntington Beach Ultimate Training Center, Kongo is now looking to add an MMA world title next to his multiple kickboxing world championships.

LOS ANGELES - The opening round of the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix will see Bellator's two-division champion Patricio "Pitbull" (29-4) defend his 145-pound title against Juan Archuleta (23-1) in the main event of Bellator 228 on Saturday, September 28 at the "Fabulous" Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

In addition, a battle between two of the sport's most prolific middleweights will also take place, as Lyoto Machida (26-8) looks to improve to 2-0 against former Bellator 185-pound champion, Gegard Mousasi (45-7-2). Additional bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets for Bellator 228: Pitbull vs. Archuleta go on sale to the general public Friday, July 19 at 10 a.m. PT and can be purchased at the Forum box office, as well as Bellator.com and Ticketmaster.com. A special presale is scheduled to take place Wednesday, July 17 through Thursday, July 18 using code "BELLATOR" upon purchase.

Bellator 228: Pitbull vs. Archuleta will stream live exclusively on DAZN at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com, DAZN and globally on the Bellator Mobile App.

Hailing from Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, two-time featherweight champ Patricio "Pitbull" will enter the Bellator cage for a promotional record 22th time on September 28. With impressive wins to his name over Daniel Straus (x3), Daniel Weichel (x2) and Pat Curran, the 32-year old returns to featherweight fresh off his lightweight championship win over Michael Chandler in May. Having earned a finish in 21 of his 29 wins as a professional, the simultaneous two-division champion has become synonymous with excitement and fans can certainly expect more fireworks when he meets Juan Archuleta in LA.

A winner of 18 consecutive fights, including five under the Bellator banner and a highlight reel-knockout over former champ Eduardo Dantas at Bellator 222, Juan Archuleta has solidified himself as the rightful No. 1 contender to "Pitbull's" title. "The Spaniard" was a standout collegiate wrestler at Purdue University before turning pro in MMA and going on to win championships in four different divisions on the regional scene. Training alongside fighters the likes of "Rampage" Jackson, Cheick Kongo, Cub Swanson and T.J. Dillashaw at HBUTC in Huntington Beach, Calif., the 31-year-old old Southern California native now looks to add Bellator gold to his trophy case with a win on September 28.

After signing with Bellator last year, Machida has successfully defeated Rafael Carvalho and Chael Sonnen en route to his upcoming rematch with Mousasi. The former UFC light heavyweight champ is a two-division threat, who spends time training in both his native Brazil and Los Angeles. "The Dragon" owns notable career wins over Ryan Bader, Tito Ortiz, "Shogun" Rua, Dan Henderson, Rashad Evans and Randy Couture, and is looking to move up the divisional ladder and challenge for Rafael Lovato Jr.'s newly won middleweight title.

On September 28, Gegard Mousasi will look to even the score with Machida a little more than five years after they met previously in Brazil. On that night, Machida took home the decision, but Mousasi now has revenge on his mind. Training out of The Netherlands, Mousasi holds one of the most impressive resumes in all of the sport, having held the Bellator middleweight title, the Strikeforce light heavyweight title and both the Dream light heavyweight and middleweight titles. With victories against some of the sport's best, including Rory MacDonald, Alexander Shlemenko, Chris Weidman, Vitor Belfort, Uriah Hall, Dan Henderson, "Jacare" Souza, Mark Hunt and Ovince Saint Preux, the Judo black belt is looking to earn his way back to the belt.